Lucasfilm is in development on a second Star Wars live-action series for Disney+, the Company’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service. The series, which will go into production next year, follows the adventures of rebel spy Cassian Andor during the formative years of the Rebellion and prior to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Diego Luna will reprise the role of Andor. “Going back to the Star Wars universe is very special for me,” said Luna. “I have so many memories of the great work we did together and the relationships I made throughout the journey. We have a fantastic adventure ahead of us, and this new exciting format will give us the chance to explore this character more deeply.”

The rousing spy thriller will explore tales filled with espionage and daring missions to restore hope to a galaxy in the grip of a ruthless Empire. A release date for the series has not yet been announced.

I’ve been saying, pretty much since the end credits rolled on Rogue One, that there was more story to tell with these characters. So I am loving this idea. I don’t expect Alan Tudyk and K2-SO to be part of the package, though; that character was entirely CGI in the movie, and would be prohibitively expensive to do on TV.

Between this and The Mandalorian and all the Star Trek projects said to be in development…it’s so tempting to call this a new golden age of sci-fi. I could also see a downside (other networks/studios refraining from developing new SF projects because how are they going to compete with Star Wars and Star Trek?).